1969 Olds 442 - Oldsmobile was GM's semi-experimental division and one step from the top of the GM pecking order, behind Cadillac. Olds cars always had enough grunt for high performance street cars, but it was a little off in it’s image. Olds cars were usually for “older” guys. - KST

1970 Olds 442 - In 1970, this was the Olds that you WANTED your father to drive! Even upscale Oldsmobile had a big-hitter muscle Car. The W-2 Olds 442 was a Chevelle, GTO-sized car that packed a 455-cid underrated 370 hp big-block engine. Several W-2 Olds 442 cars were very successful in Stock Eliminator drag racing.

Even though a fully equipped W-2 Olds 442 looked every but as bad on the street, it didn’t have the same image as the SS-454 Chevelle or GTO. Plus it cost more money. - KST

1969 Hurst / Olds 442 - Back in the olden days, there was a buying pecking order at General Motors. Young buyers bought a Chevy. Then as you get a little more pay, you got a Pontiac. Then and Oldsmobile, and finally, a Cadillac. A nice, straight line towards the biggest and most profitable division in GM.

Since Oldsmobile was just one step away from a Caddy, most Oldsmobile buyers were older guys... fathers. An Oldsmobile is what your Dad drove. However, the designers at Oldsmobile weren’t immune to muscle car fever. Olds’ muscle car was a goosed up Cutlass called, the “442.”

Meanwhile, in Warminster, Pa, the folks at Hurst Performance were supplying every street machine owner and racer with heavy-duty, rock-solid Hurst Shifters. Someone inside of Hurst performance decided to get into the specialty muscle car biz and the Hurst/Olds was born. These gold painted Oldsmobiles had extra stripes, badges, scoops, a spoiler, and extra go-fast parts under the hood. They even offered a special “automatic” Hurst Shifter for those who preferred GM’s Turbo Hydramatic 400 transmission.

These were very classy, quick, and fast muscle cars. This was DEFINITELY not your father’s Oldsmobile. - KST

Blueprint Series No. 13 - 1970 Olds 442 - Everyone was getting into the Muscle Car game, even brands that you wouldn’t usually associate with high performance. Oldsmobile first released the 442 in ‘65 as an option on their Cutlas model. The real “performance” image didn’t kick in until ‘68 when the 442 started looking “tough.” By ‘70 the W2 455 Olds 442 was a rip-snort’n pavement burner.

The odd thing about the 442 was that even though the car was a solid performer (and why wouldn’t it be, it was the same size as a Chevelle and a GTO) the car just didn’t have the street brawer-like image that the SS-454 Chevelle and the GTO had. The 442 price was higher than the Pontiac and the Chevy and it still had the “only our father drives an Oldsmobile” stigma.

A well tuned big-block 442 with headers, the right gears, and fat tires could eat almost anything on the street. - KST

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